What are some ways that you and your family can help stop global warming?

Answer 1

There are many steps you can take at home to help mitigate the release of carbon dioxide, which is a primary driver of global warming.

Start with your driving habits - how often do you need to drive to the store? Can you make one trip a week and get all your shopping done, or can you do your shopping on the way home or to work? This significantly reduces the amount of gasoline you burn and transportation is responsible for 18% of global carbon dioxide emissions. As a bonus, driving less also saves you money since you aren't using as much gasoline.

Look around your house - are there appliances you can unplug like the toaster or the VCR that you no longer use? Can you turn down the heat by a degree or two in the winter or turn the A/C down a bit (run a little warmer) in the summer? Do you have power strips for your major appliances like the TV/entertainment center or the computer so you can turn these off when you aren't at home and not using them? The more you can reduce your electricity useage at home, the less fossil fuels are burned at the power plant which also reduces carbon dioxide emission there. Again, there is an immediate cost saving to this in that your electric bill will also drop.

When you are looking at your house, do you notice a draft or a cold or hot spot in a particular room or area? This can be a sign of poor insulation, which means the heat in winter and cold in summer may be leaking out, raising your energy useage and increasing your carbon footprint (how much carbon dioxide your actions and decisions generate in a year). You may be able to call your power company and have them do a free house inspection to look for drafts, leaks and other sources of lost heating/cooling - fixing these can save you hundreds of dollars a year in utility bills as well as reduce carbon dioxide emissions at the power plant. Also, take a look at your appliances - are they high efficiency? If they are more than about 10 years old, you can likely save a great deal of money by replacing them with high-efficiency new appliances, which also reduces energy consumption.

Children and teenagers can help out a lot too, with simple actions like always turning off the lights, TV, radio and computer when they are done using them. Other really helpful actions include not staring into the refrigerator with the door open, sorting laundry and only washing clothes that are actually dirty, and walking, biking or carpooling with friends rather than driving separately.

Answer 2

1. Discuss it carefully among yourselves so you all know and understand it well.
2. Talk to your friends and colleagues and pass on the message of its importance.
3. Talk to your local politicians so they understand.
4. In your own home reduce any wastage of oil, electricity and other power.
5. Use renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro, tidal and wave, geothermal and biofuel) if at all possible.